Democrats Discover Decentralization

If the Democrats succeed in taking over the House of Representatives in the midterm elections, part of the reason will be an approach more commonly associated with Republicans — decentralization and local decision-making.

The New York Times reported last month that the Democrats are "leaving it to candidates to tailor their own messages to their districts" and "have concluded that a unified campaign framework emanating from Capitol Hill would do more harm than good."

From the Times:

"We trust our candidates to know their districts and the challenges facing their communities better than anyone," said Representative Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, the chairman of the House Democrats' campaign arm.